Library Resources for DrPH Dissertation

Step 1: Identify and define your topic.

To be able to effectively search for literature and write a review of the research, you must first identify and define your topic or research question as clearly and concisely as possible. 

Step 2: Search for literature on your topic.

The literature for your review will be required through journal articles, books, dissertations, reports, and other types of scholarly literature. See Searching the Literature for more information on using keywords to search for literature in various sources.

Step 3: Read through your resources.

Once you've identified the relevant articles from your search results, read through your resources. Take notes on anything that is helpful in advancing your own thinking about the topic or helpful for writing the literature review, such as key points and ideas. You might notice similarities and differences between sources. This is a time-consuming part of the process, but is the most important. You are trying to gather an understanding of what the literature on your topic says.

Make sure you critically evaluate your sources.

Tip: a citation manager can be very helpful at this stage to keep your resources organized and collect your notes in one place!

Step 4: Organize your notes and thoughts and create an outline.

Reflect on your reading, and take the time to notice any patterns, consensus between sources (or lack of consensus) on your topic, or any unresolved questions. You might want to reorganize your notes and think about how you'll present this information in your literature review. You may find it helpful to create an outline for your literature review now.

Step 5: Write your literature review.

Remember, the lit review isn't just about summarizing your sources; you also want to analyze what those sources say in the broader context of the other literature you've found. This is where you'll draw your connections between the literature you've read and explain the patterns you've found.